The Mannok team are celebrating a collection of recent awards, the first of which came just days after their formal name change from Quinn.

The company have been recognised on both sides of the Irish Sea for their achievements in innovation, products and service, three areas which they say are at the heart of the new Mannok brand.

Here in Ireland, Mannok took home their first award under their new name at the HR Leadership and Management Awards 2020, winning the Most Innovative Use of Technology Award at this year’s virtual event. This was a hotly contested category featuring giants such as LinkedIn, Bus Éireann, Vodafone Ireland and Enterprise Ireland among the contenders.

Mannok won the award for their innovative new Digital Skills Development Programme, which has transformed the way Mannok deliver their training through the use of technology and has resulted in significant benefits for both the company and its employees. The Programme was first developed for Mannok’s packaging facility and is now being rolled out across the business.

This is the latest in a number of awards the company have received in recent years which celebrate their innovative spirit and focus on responsibility to their people, having previously received awards for their innovative Safety Hub and Creating Futures Programme.

Speaking of the award win, Caroline McCaffrey, Mannok’s HR Manager, said: “We’re delighted to receive this recognition of the very innovative work we’ve been doing to completely transform our training delivery and create a structured framework for employees to continually enhance their skills and further their careers.

The implementation of such a vast change requires involvement from every single area of the business, at every level, and the engagement to bring this to fruition is a credit to everyone involved. We continue to expand the Programme to provide further opportunities to employees and to improve efficiency and safety in the workplace.

With both innovation and people so central to the Mannok brand, it is fitting that the very first award we take home under our new name is in recognition of the innovative work we’re doing for the people in the business. And it is the people who deserve to be congratulated for this award win. It is a fantastic achievement for them and for the company.”

Fantastic Four

Across the water in GB, Mannok have enjoyed a very fruitful day at this year’s National Buying Group (NBG) Awards, picking up a total of four awards recognising their products and their service to the merchant industry.

In another ceremony held virtually due to Covid, Mannok swept the board winning:

• Product of the Year: Mannok Master Grade Cement
• General Building Supplier of the Year
• Heavyside Brand of the Year
• Lockdown Hero of the Year

NBG is the UK’s premier buying group, a UK wide partnership of independent merchants. The NBG Supplier Awards are an annual event, usually held alongside their annual conference, which celebrate the achievements of the buying group’s suppliers. Partners voted for the Supplier of the Year in each of NBG’s eight Category Management Teams, as well as Product of the Year and Brand of the Year in both the heavyside and lightside sectors. However, this year a brand-new category was added, and Partners were asked to vote for their NBG Lockdown Hero.

In addition to the four award wins, Mannok were named in second place in the Brick and Block Supplier of the Year category and third place in the Roofing and Insulation Supplier of the Year category.

Speaking of the company’s success at the awards, GB Sales Director, Lee Gillman, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be recognised by NBG in this way, particularly in such a challenging year for the industry.

Each one of these awards means a great deal to us and reassures us that we are doing right by our customers, both in terms of the products we’re producing and the service we’re providing.

Given the unprecedented challenges 2020 has presented, to receive the newest award at this year’s event, Lockdown Hero, is a very special achievement for us. Like every other business, we’ve had to adapt in any way we could to service our customers safely, and the whole team have worked incredibly hard to ensure we support our customers throughout.

To have this hard work and commitment acknowledged by our customers in this way is a fantastic achievement, and the entire Mannok team deserve to be congratulated for their commitment, agility and ‘can do’ attitude which they’ve demonstrated in spades this year. We’re incredibly proud.”